What to Know
- An NJ Transit train smashed into a police vehicle in Long Branch Monday, authorities said
- No injuries were reported; the officer said the vehicle wouldn't release from the park position -- when the cop got out, though, it rolled
- NJ Transit and police warned of train cancellations and traffic delays in the area that were expected to last several hours
An NJ Transit train smashed into a police SUV in Long Branch Monday, completely demolishing the vehicle and causing major rail and traffic delays in the area as authorities investigated.
No one was hurt in the accident, police said. According to the Long Branch police department, the officer said there was some sort of transmission malfunction and the vehicle appeared to get stuck in park.
The officer was at the scene as backup for a traffic stop, authorities said. When the officer's car wouldn't move from the park position, the officer got out of the vehicle and it rolled forward onto the grass, then onto the tracks, officials said.
It came to rest on the tracks -- and that's where it was hit by the train. Footage from the scene showed the entire front of the vehicle completely ripped off.
NJ Transit, which confirmed a switch failure in addition to the crash, said 110 people were on the North Jersey Coast line train when it hit the police vehicle at the Brighton Avenue crossing.
It said it was experiencing delays and cancellations because of the crash, and Long Branch police warned traffic would be slow moving for a number of hours as the department investigates.
